Six Bachelor of Journalism students were recipients of this year’s Journalism and Media Studies Centre Internship Fund, which offers up to HK$3,000 per student to cover living and other expenses.

Naomi Ng in Burma

Naomi Ng, who did a summer internship with Mizzima, a daily newspaper in Burma, wrote feature articles on business and politics, three of which became cover stories for the newspaper’s business magazine. “My most memorable experience was covering Martyr’s Day, when citizens commemorated the death of General Aung San 66 years ago,’ she said. “Throughout the internship, I was constantly thinking back on what I was taught at JMSC and not just running on instincts.”

Hui Yi Fong

Closer to home, Hui Yi Fong worked at the Asia Sentinel, a web-based regional Asian publication headquartered in Hong Kong, managing its social media content. “I developed strategies to boost readership and the engagement rate,” Fong said. “Now I understand that a good piece of writing is not enough in this digital era. You need online tools to reach a wider audience.” She credited her JMSC online journalism course for helping prepare her for her internship.

Jee Hee Lim interned at HK Magazine writing short blurbs on hotels, restaurants, and shops. “The more exciting part of the job was going out and meeting new people, like fashion designers and winery owners, and taking photographs,” said Lim. “The JMSC courses that helped me most were reporting and writing and photography, particularly when I faced tight deadlines.”

In order to graduate, BJ students must complete at least eight weeks of full-time internship work in journalism or media-related fields. The JMSC has one of the most wide-ranging and popular internship programmes in Hong Kong, having placed hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students in internships since its founding in 1999. Local and international internship partners include Chinese- and English-language companies in Hong Kong, the United States, Asia and elsewhere.